


The Hurt Is A Has Been

by theprincessed



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 01:57:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6101053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gordon dares to turn up to the village and Robert tries his hardest not to rise to the bait. It doesn't go well.</p>
<p>Luckily, Aaron takes it upon himself to take care of him in the aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hurt Is A Has Been

**Author's Note:**

> I appear to be unstoppable at the moment. Well, truth be told, this was meant to be in another much longer fic but it wasn't working and didn't fit, so I prodded and tweaked it quite a bit so it could stand on its own as a little ficlet instead. I have a better idea for the fic this came from, something simpler, so keep your eyes peeled for that. :)
> 
> As much as Robert is my boy now, he does wear a beaten up face well, so essentially I made that happen for some good ol' fashioned hurt/comfort. Huzzah!
> 
> Title from Lucie Silvas' _Reset_ , which is such a Robron song ugh. Hope you enjoy x

Robert straightens his cardigan and picks up his blazer from where it's laid on the back of Victoria's armchair. Aaron and Adam take great pleasure in ribbing him about his cardigans and his jackets with elbow patches (strangely nothing about his leather jackets though – clearly they're cool), but he hasn't quite trained himself out of the habit of making an effort around Aaron yet. It's been the way of Aaron says jump and he asks how high since his return weeks ago and he's alright with it. Now that they're trying to build a friendship, Robert wonders whether Aaron is secretly okay with that too.

As mates do, Aaron had sent him a text half an hour ago, asking if he wanted to join him for a midday drink and he'd agreed. It was becoming a nicely regular thing and he didn't even care if Adam was there because this time he was determined to do things right. This wasn't a date and although he stood by the fact that he loved him, Robert knew that he was the last thing Aaron needed as anything other than a friend.

He gives himself one last look in the mirror to check his hair and opens the cottage's front door. It's frustrating that he's still in the process of getting his own place, but Victoria has kept to her word and told him he can stay with her and Adam at Keeper's for as long as he likes. He's just not sure how much longer he can cope as the third wheel anymore.

He's stepping out with his eyes glued to his phone as he sends Aaron a pithy reply to one of his snarky remarks when somebody bumps shoulders with him.

“Oh sorry, I didn't see - ” he starts to apologise, but as he raises his head he clocks who it is and trips after them, already enraged. “Oi! Where d'you think you're going?!”

They take a few steps more, casual as anything, before they must realise that Robert won't give up and they turn around, a smirk on their face. “Free country, isn't it?”

Jaw set, Robert shoulders into Gordon's space, almost nose to nose with him. “Not for you for much longer.” he hisses, mouth tight. Gordon smiles slightly and turns to leave, so Robert steps in front of him again, feeling his temper start to rise. He's had to be so calm lately whilst all around him were falling apart. “I'm warning you. Leave now before Chas or Aaron sees that you've got the gall to turn up here.”

“And what're you gonna do if I don't, eh? Send another of your little minions to the police to make false accusations against me? How did that work out for you?” Robert grits his teeth at the mention of his failed plan with Ryan and clenches his fists by his sides, so tempted. “Face it. You're no big man. You're useless and however hard you try to prove otherwise with this act, everyone knows it.”

A couple of months ago, this is where Robert would've lashed out but things are different now. _He's_ different. He tries not to see it as giving up, as letting Gordon win, as he backs down and starts to walk away.

However, he doesn't get very far in trying to furiously text Aaron with shaking hands before Gordon yanks at his shoulder to pull him roughly around. It seems he hasn't finished and Robert's arm raises in shrugging him off with a scowl, his phone still in his hand. It catches Gordon in the face, mouth open amidst saying something spiteful and they both hear the clang the case makes against his teeth. He rears back in pain and shock and Robert's eyes widen as, quick as a flash, he recovers and lunges at him, a dark look in his eyes and blood in his mouth. It's terrifying and what Aaron must've seen all those times he'd been hurt and Robert's heart splinters for him all over again, even as Gordon lands the first punch. 

In the scuffle, Robert's phone falls from his hand and he stumbles, only to be punched once more. It hits him in the eye this time and sends him momentarily dizzy as the father (only by title) of the man he loves releases his true colours and he hears quick footsteps in the distance. Robert turns his head to see Aaron come running towards them, Adam and Chas bringing up the rear, shouting. His distraction proves advantageous to Gordon and Robert looks at him just in time to feel his fist collide with his mouth. Off balance, he hits the ground with a thud and Aaron forces his way between him curled up on the floor and Gordon.

“What the hell d'ya think you're doin'? Get away from him!” he spits, vibrating with a cocktail of emotions, hoping fear isn't written on his face.

“Just teaching sonny boy here a very valuable lesson of what it means to be a real man. Why?” he smirks, “You looking for one an' all?”

“Stay away from my son!” Chas yells just as Adam comes round the back of Gordon to pull him away from Aaron.

Aaron twitches like he's going to do something and Chas yells for him to stop, but he flinches as Gordon makes an aborted move towards him. He puffs out his chest and shrugs off Adam's approaching grip of control, pointing a finger at Aaron. “You wanna keep him on a tighter leash. No telling what could happen. Look at you, you're pathetic, both of ya.” he says, glancing down at Robert and wiping the blood from his lip on his sleeve with a sneer.

Robert struggles onto all fours as Chas, Adam and Aaron watch Gordon leave, shaken but surviving. They spring into action a second later and Aaron helps him to his feet.

“Ah no, my phone.” he groans, squinting as his eye swells and his mouth continues to bleed.

On the ground, his phone lies with a huge splintered crack in the screen. Nearest to Chas, she picks it up and gingerly hands it to him. He's aware of Aaron staring at him with a look of disbelief, but as he tries to take a step, he sways dangerously and Aaron catches him, Adam coming to his aid at his other side.

“Is that all you can say?” Aaron snaps, the three of them slowly half carrying Robert between them back to the Woolpack, with Chas close by.

Robert smiles crookedly at him, “I didn't hit back.”

“Well, maybe you should've, ya idiot,” he grumbles, “God, I wanted to kill him. Who the hell does he think he is?”

“I'm better than that,” Robert cocks his head to the right, briefly making contact with Aaron's temple and he thinks of the time Aaron found him drunk and lonely. “ _You're_ better than that.”

“Yeah, man, he's right y'know,” Adam pipes up.

“And Hell's finally frozen over,” Chas declares from behind them. Robert watches as Aaron throws her a look and by the roll of his eyes he can tell that she was joking.

Once they reach the back of the pub, Aaron turns Robert so that they're facing Chas and Adam. “Go on, I'll handle it.” he says.

Robert's expecting them to put up a bit of a protest and it's a testament to how things have progressed that they simply nod and leave Aaron to shuffle into the sitting room with Robert alone. He slumps onto the settee with a relieved little moan and watches Aaron bustle around the sink, making him inwardly smile big. He's never seen him look so worried and clucky. He comes towards Robert with a bowl of water and a cloth and sits down on the coffee table, with the items, to be close to Robert in front of him.

“I've been punched in the face before y'know. It's fine.” he says, amused. “In fact, you should know that.” 

Aaron snorts and soaks the cloth in the water, eyes on what he's doing. “I remember. It's just – why can't he leave us alone?” he looks up suddenly, struck with an idea. “Should I call the police?”

“Nah, don't be daft.”

“But he hurt you.” he croaks and lifts the damp cloth to Robert's mouth. “And without reason.”

He garbles a response and chuckles as Aaron's work prevents him from being understood. “He's just trying to throw his weight around one last time, that's all,” he repeats as the cloth is dabbed around his eye. He had no idea Aaron could be so gentle. Well, not outside the bedroom. He wishes his efforts would stop him from getting a black eye in a few days, but it's not likely. “He knows he's on the losing side.”

They lapse into silence, although Robert's strangely pleased that it's a comfortable one. He lets Aaron do his thing because it's clearly making him feel better - _useful_ \- and that's good. 

Aaron cups one hand to his jaw to tilt his chin up slightly whilst the other dabs at his lower lip that's been split as bad as Gordon's. Their eyes suddenly lock and Robert inhales, struck by how close Aaron is, how careful Aaron's touching him, how hypnotisingly blue his eyes are. His breathing stutters in his chest and Aaron leans in with the softest, smallest kiss. Robert's eyes fall closed and he opens his mouth automatically, feeling the damp cloth drop into his lap as Aaron grabs his injured face with both hands and strokes his tongue against his. He gets lost in the kiss for one glorious moment, his heart bursting with the love he knows he feels for Aaron stronger everyday despite their agreement to be just friends and it's that reminder that makes him force himself to curl his fingers around Aaron's wrists and break away.

“Aaron, no,” he whispers, tightening his grip so he can't pull from him in a huff. “We can't. I can't. I'm sorry.”

“Why not? Don't you love me?” he says fiercely, clearly stung by the rejection.

Robert swallows hard, wishing he wouldn't use that like a weapon. He leans forward so their foreheads touch, still holding Aaron's hands against his cheeks. “Of course I do. That's why I can't. We've been over this. It's not what you need right now. You don't need anymore complications.”

“But - ” Aaron protests in a small voice then sighs, “But how am I supposed to move on from what - what _he_ did if you're stopping me from doin' what I wanna do? I wanted to kiss you, so I did.”

“I wanted to kiss you too.” he smiles softly, brushing a kiss to the inside of Aaron's palm then letting go to put some space between them. “I love you, you know that. And when this is all over, I'll kiss you as much as you want, but not a minute before. This is about you getting justice for what you went through, nothing else. Concentrate on you first. I'll be here, when it's time.”

He's happy to see Aaron mull it over in a long, long pause before he looks up from pulling his grey jumper over his fidgeting hands and pins Robert to the spot with his stare. “When did you get so wise, eh?”

“I met a man who changed my world.” he grins widely, wincing in the next second from his smarting lip.

He decides to pretend he can't see Aaron's blush and sits like a good patient as his own personal nurse tends to his wounds.

There's hope for them yet. He's sure of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). :)


End file.
